Stranger Acts
by Codyknight22
Summary: Ruby acted without thinking when she saw someone out in the pouring rain. But how does her relationship grow with the girl that she saved, Weiss? Medieval AU, one-shot, fluff, for Hanasaku-Shijin (momoxtoshiro)


Stranger Acts

**Doing this one-shot for Hanasaku-Shijin (or momoxtoshiro on this site) who is an author I look up to greatly (senpai pls), and I just wanna prove that White Rose may be going down, but it's still gonna be strong still.**

This was one of those days where the downpour of rain overrode everything that was happening.

It erased the sound, the life, and really everything. It didn't matter how hard times were for you, this rain was going to be keeping you inside all day with little to do. For one such girl, it made her feel a little bit sad.

She was living in a small cottage outside the limits of the nearest town, meaning that she could hunt and gather with full free will. The actual cottage had only a few rooms, a main room that contained a small table, chairs, and a couch, an area where they kept and prepared their food, and Yang and Ruby's room. On most days, she wore thick, black boots, long, thick black pants with red accents, a red and black shirt, and a red hood as well. Today, her boots were missing and her cloak was off since she was just resting inside. Her name was Ruby Rose, and today she was nothing apart from sad and bored.

Her sister, Yang, had left earlier in the day to pick up some supplies from the town that were unobtainable from their cottage. Both girls preferred to live off of the land, but sometimes Yang had to go into town. Ruby wasn't a fan, she hated the crowds and some of the people (though not everyone was terrible, it was more along the lines of how large the masses are), so Yang let her stay at home.

But, both Yang and Ruby had noticed how stormy the clouds looked that day. Yang had specifically told her, that if it started to pour, she'd be staying at an inn. Their cottage was not in a great spot to travel to with supplies in the rain, since things could become so hazardous. Ruby had hoped that Yang would get back soon enough, but it had started to rain right around the time that Ruby knew Yang would be in town. It had left for her to simply sit and stare out the window.

She groaned loudly, and leaned back. Her hands wiped over her face, and she just was angry. Yang was pretty much her only company, and when she left, Ruby was able to go and do things outside (hunt, gather, etc.) Unfortunately for her, now it was raining. At this exact moment, Ruby was stripped with everything she could do.

Ruby walked around the house, and looked for anything that was untidy or dirty or out of place just to fix up.

She found nothing.

Defeated, Ruby dropped down in her chair, and groaned again. Her hands once again went over her face, but when they lowered, Ruby noticed something odd.

She thought that she could see a figure out in the distance. The figure was slightly more obscure due to all of the rain, but Ruby could've sworn she could see it. They were hunched over, potentially crawling, covered in mud, grime, and stray pieces of branches.

Ruby only took one more moment before she grabbed her boots, threw them on, and snagged her cloak to help aid that figure. She threw open the door, and rushed outside.

She couldn't see very well, her cloak only able to keep the rain off of her not out of her vision, but she ran in the general direction of the figure.

"HEY!" Ruby yelled out. She could see movement going up, confirming what she thought. "HOLD ON A SECOND, OKAY?" It was stupid, really. The figure wasn't exactly moving, probably due to however they felt from the heavy rain.

Ruby finally got to the figure, and spent almost no time shielding them with their cloak.

"I'm here to help," Ruby said softly, taking no time to reach down and aid the figure to their feet.

"...Help," the person said in a faint voice. The higher pitch led Ruby to believe that the holder of the voice was a female, and that they were as weak as Ruby had initially expected.

"Hey, don't worry," Ruby said. She made sure that the woman was mostly draped over Ruby so that she would almost be completely supported while walking, and Ruby began to move her forward. Ruby could hear the woman trying to say something, forcing Ruby slow down a bit.

"Hey, sh, sh, sh," Ruby whispered. "Don't spend the energy. I live a little bit ahead, I'm going to guide you in and let you rest." The woman instantly went quiet, and Ruby continued to help her along.

It took them a few minutes to reach the cottage, simply due to how slow both girls were moving, and Ruby instantly opened up the girl and let her in. She guided the woman to a room, and laid her down on Ruby's own bed. Ruby finally got a moment to look over the girl (as it was now clear to Ruby that she was younger then Ruby originally thought), and she took a sharp breath at how beat-up the girl actually looked.

Her face contained many open wounds, and it looked completely pale. Her eyes were a light blue, which really aided the sickly look that was covering her face, and her hair was completely white, apart from all of the mud and branches that was caught in it. Her clothing was nothing more then a comfortable dress that was torn to pieces near the bottom (which looked partially intentional since it did allow for more mobility) and the whole thing may have once been white, but now it was just shades of brown and green from the forestation. Beyond that, it was completely unrecognizable.

Ruby could see the girl shaking badly, and she looked over her dress. Ruby looked up at her face, and could see her eyes closed and her breathing coming heavily. She had passed out, meaning that Ruby could potentially get the death trap off of her before the girl suffered from a bad enough case of hypothermia to the point where death was certain.

Ruby, though normally incredibly shy and awkward, took charge of getting the dress off of the girl (which was both difficult and took a longer time then anticipated), leaving her bare. Ruby found some of her own clothing, and put it on the girl so that she didn't wake up completely nude. Ruby's clothing seemed to fit the girl just fine, allowing Ruby to realize how small the actual girl was. Ruby noticed a few pieces of jewelry on her, making Ruby slightly nervous and uncomfortable. She was at least a member of the upper-class, which left Ruby to wonder what exactly she had been doing out in the woods.

Shaking the thoughts away, Ruby pulled covers over the girl and walked into the kitchen. She grabbed a few items to prepare a simple stew (since the girl would benefit greatly from it's warmth) and went to work preparing a fire. Once she had the stew boiling, Ruby sat down worriedly on the couch.

This girl, whoever she was, was clearly of some wealth. Whatever drove her out into the rain could be bad for Ruby. Plus there was the fact that the girl was going to be waking up in different clothing, there's no telling what she would think of that. And the least of her worries was Yang, but it was still a slight concern.

When Ruby had seen the girl, she didn't think at all, she acted. Ruby wouldn't regret it, but she was hopeful that the girl would maybe take kindly to her.

Ruby waited for the stew to boil for a while longer, before she heard some noises coming from the room. Ruby got up, checked the stew, and then walked over to her room where the girl was laying.

Ruby slowly poked her head in, and she could see the girl curled up, eyes open, and she was still shaking.

"Hey," Ruby said. The girl suddenly curled up more, and her eyes got even wider. "No, sh, calm down, it's okay."

"W-w-who are you?" The girl said, her voice shaky from the cold. Ruby took in a deep breath, and got down next to the bed.

"I'm Ruby," she said, trying to sound as sweet as possible.

"H-h-how did you f-f-find me?" The girl continued, her eyes still as fearful as before.

"Well..." Ruby said, trying to find a good way to say it. But she foiled herself and it all came tumbling out.

"IwasinsideandIwasjustlookingoutthewindowandIsawyouandIwantedtohelpand-." The girl held up her hand, and Ruby came to a stop realizing her error. "I'm sorry."

"S-s-slower," the girl said, trying her hardest to get anything out that she could. Ruby took in another deep breath, and took a few moments.

"I was inside and I was just looking out the window," Ruby said, slowing her pace down as much as she could. "I saw you, and I noticed that you were stuck out in the rain. I wanted to help you, so I guided you in."

"Y-y-you're not one of t-t-them?" The girl stuttered.

"One of who?" Ruby asked. The girl seemed to relax a little bit, and Ruby looked back out the door. "Well... You need to rest a little more. I'm gonna get you some stew, okay? I'll be right back." The girl didn't even have the energy to respond properly, and simply nodded before curling up even more.

Ruby walked out of the room, and quickly grabbed a small bowl of stew. She hurried back over to the room, and saw the girl looking eagerly at the door. Ruby placed the small bowl in front of the girl, who gingerly grabbed the spoon provided with the bowl. She started to gently pour it into her mouth, and Ruby aided her a little bit. After a few spoonfuls, Ruby finally spoke again.

"What's your name?" Ruby asked. The girl looked suspiciously at Ruby, and her heart dropped. "I'm sorry, it's just... I'm curious as to what I should call you." The girl's eyes relaxed a little bit, and she seemed slightly willing to trust Ruby.

"Weiss," she said in a quiet voice. She opened her mouth again, but Ruby held her hand up.

"It's okay, just save your energy," Ruby said nicely. She smiled at Weiss, who in turn nodded in appreciation.

Weiss finished up the bowl of stew, and turned onto her back. It was obvious that she was going to sleep, which Ruby didn't try to protest at all.

"Rest up, okay?" Ruby said. "You can stay for as long as you need to, this rain isn't gonna stop anytime soon."

"Thank you," Weiss said softly.

"Ah, it's fine," Ruby said dismissively, but Weiss was already asleep.

Over the course of the next several hours, Ruby set about trying to prepare things for Weiss' potential leave back to wherever it was that she came from. But the rain seemingly refused to stop, starting to worry Ruby a little bit. She didn't now her way to the nearest town without Yang, restricting Weiss to the cottage until then. Not to mention that Weiss herself couldn't travel in the heavy rain. Ruby was getting worried about the stay of the surprising new guest.

After those few hours, Ruby barely heard Weiss before she walked into the room wearing the clothing that Ruby gave her.

"Hi!" Ruby said excitedly.

"Why am I in clothing apart from my own?" Weiss asked instantly. Ruby gulped, and looked down at her feet.

"Well... If you were stuck in your dress that was wet and torn, you were probably going to die or something..." Ruby mumbled.

"Can you speak a little more clearly?" Weiss asked.

"You were probably gonna die in wet and torn clothing," Ruby said, making sure her volume was louder. Her face was bright red, and Weiss stared at her very questioningly.

"Did you undress me?" Weiss asked. Ruby nodded quickly and dramatically. "And change me?" Ruby nodded again. "Did you do anything else?"

"WHAT?!" Ruby spat, completely caught off guard. "I WOULD NEVER DO THAT!" Weiss lifted her head up, and nodded.

"Well... I owe you my deepest gratitude," Weiss said, very formal and polite. "Now, might I inquire about leaving?"

"Uhhhhhhhh," Ruby said, completely awestruck by the grace with which she seemed to be able to carry herself. Weiss snapped her fingers, and Ruby snapped out of it. "Well... It's still raining, soooooo..."

"Let me guess," Weiss said dejectedly. "No can do?"

"Well, do you wanna die?" Ruby asked. "Cause anything that tries to travel out there probably will. I mean, it's kind of amazing that you made it to the cottage." The question was so close to escaping her mouth, the question about how Weiss had come to out of the house, but she stopped herself. It wouldn't have been polite at all, and after seeing how Weiss carried herself, politeness was important.

"When do you believe that I shall be able to set on course for a nearby town?" Weiss asked.

"Oh, well that's a little bit... Different..." Ruby continued. "I don't, uh, know how to get to town..." Ruby let the last part trail off, but she could already see some anger in Weiss' eyes.

"What?" She asked, the fury plainly evident in her voice.

"No, no, no!" Ruby said. "It's not like... Not like that! My sister, Yang, knows how to get to the town, which is where she is right now!" Weiss calmed down, and sat down awkwardly in a nearby chair. "Yang won't be able to come back until the rain stops and it's safe to travel again." It only took Ruby a moment to realize that it sounded like she was holding Weiss hostage, and her eyes widened and her arms came out apologetically.

"Once she gets back, you can go. Well... I mean... You can go now, if you want, but like, if you wanna go now, you'd probably not make it very far, but you can-."

"Ruby, is it?" Weiss asked, trying to sound even tempered. Ruby nodded. "Please stop, I understand what you're saying." Ruby nodded, and closed her mouth. Weiss sighed, and looked pleadingly at Ruby.

"I am actually very hungry after my rest," she said. "Do you have any more stew?"

"Sure," Ruby said, happy to get the chance to help Weiss out. She grabbed another bowl, and filled it with stew for Weiss. She handed it off, and watched as Weiss ate it slowly.

It was only now that Ruby noticed how weak Weiss still was. She could see her hand shaking, she noticed that Weiss had to set the actual bowl on the table, and her hand shook with every spoonful that she had. All that Ruby could think of was how good it was that she wasn't going to be traveling soon, because it was clear that the cold had taken a bigger toll on her then Weiss cared to admit.

"Hey, do you need anything?" Ruby asked suddenly.

"No, no I am fine as of right now, thank you," Weiss said.

"Are you sure? Cause your hand is kind of... Shaky."

"I'm fine," Weiss replied sharply. But her hand continued to shake. She was careful to make it affect her movement as little as possible, but there was only so much that she could do to hide all of it, and Ruby's bored eyes caught onto details much sharper then they normally would.

Finally, Ruby just walked over to where Weiss was, and pulled up a chair right across from her. She just watched very intently, until Weiss looked up from the stew in front of her.

"Do you mind?" She asked sharply.

"You're shaking," Ruby finally said. "That's kind of not good." Weiss growled in Ruby's direction, but the girl took the spoon from Weiss, and stared right at her. Ruby calmly made a spoonful of stew, and held it up to Weiss' mouth.

"This is ridiculous!" Weiss complained.

"Do you wanna have the stew?" Ruby challenged. Weiss stared at her for a very long time. For a little bit, Ruby began to worry that her plan wouldn't work. But eventually, Weiss folded and accepted that Ruby was just going to feed her the stew.

After this bowl was finished, Weiss was, unsurprisingly, exhausted. She requested to retreat back to Ruby's room, to which Ruby was willing to let her do completely.

It was only after Weiss fell asleep that Ruby realized how late it was. The sun had gone down, but it was still raining so Ruby couldn't tell. She decided that it would be wise to get some rest as well, since she was confident that Weiss would be asleep for a while. Ruby walked into Yang's room, and jumped onto Yang's bed. She closed her eyes, and let sleep overcome her.

_The Next Morning_

Weiss opened up her eyes, and slowly sat up. She calmly let out a loud yawn and stretched out. She looked down at her bed, and briefly panicked. Where was she? What was happening?

But then, it came back to her, and she slowly exhaled.

_This is not ideal, _Weiss thought. _By now, that Ruby girl knows who I am. I just hope that perhaps her sister has returned._

Weiss walked out into the front room, and saw Ruby looking sadly out the window. Weiss cleared her throat, and Ruby turned to face her.

"Oh, hey Weiss!" Ruby said. "How'd you sleep?"

"Well," Weiss said sharply. "But I have to ask you, has your sister returned yet?" Ruby shook her head. "And your sure you can't get me to the town?" Ruby nodded this time. "Then if you wouldn't mind giving me a general direction, I will be on my way."

"Wait! Weiss!" Ruby said, lunging forward.

_This is it, _Weiss thought. _I simply want to spend more time with you because of your-._

"You're still shaking slightly," Ruby said, pointing to Weiss' hands. "I don't know if it's nerves or something like that, but there's no way you're anywhere near full strength. I don't wanna send you out there to die." Weiss stared at Ruby, completely flabbergasted.

"... Do you not know who I am?" Weiss asked.

"Well... I mean... Your Weiss." Ruby kicked at the air awkwardly. "I really don't go anywhere else." Weiss almost lashed out at Ruby, really from nothing other then pure shock. But then, she realized, this would be the first time in a while she wouldn't have to deal with any recognition.

"It's fine," Weiss said finally. "I'll just go by Weiss for now, okay?" Ruby nodded. "Good. Now... What am I supposed to do to regain strength?"

"Rest!" Ruby said instantly. "When Yang gets back, I swear you can go immediately, but let's make sure you don't die before you can go home, huh?" Weiss stared at the ground, and nodded.

Weiss sat down at a nearby table, and looked around the room. She truly was at a loss for things that could be done. Normally, she would spend her time finding things to occupy her around her home, but here, they had the necessities. Weiss noticed a bow and sword resting at the door, and she rose an eyebrow at Ruby.

"What are these?" She asked, pointing over to the weapons.

"Oh, those are mine!" Ruby said excitedly. She rushed over, and lifted them off the ground. "Yang and me both learned how to fight with them, and we figured both would be useful for hunting."

"Yang and I," Weiss muttered. "But I do see the efficiency..." Weiss stared curiously at Ruby. She wasn't behaving how Weiss would expect most people to, though her experience was limited. She had to assume that this was just her character, and that she was perhaps a little more... Unique.

"Yeah, no hunting for a while though," Ruby said. "With the rain, most animals are probably gonna be in hiding for a bit. Plus I can't leave you unattended and I have no idea when Yang is-."

"What makes you assume that I cannot defend myself if something were to happen?" Weiss asked, latching onto one part of Ruby's sentence.

"Uh-."

"Is it because of the clothing I was wearing? Or maybe the jewelry? I sincerely hope it wasn't because I am a girl because-."

"Weiss!" Ruby finally said, holding up her hands innocently. "It's 'cause you were sick." Weiss stepped back, and her face fell a little.

"Ruby..." She began. "I am so sorry. I should not have jumped to a conclusion like that."

"It's alright," Ruby said with a smile. "When I was in town with Yang, I noticed some things that kept me from wanting to go back. I think I get why you would jump to the worst." Weiss nodded, still feeling poorly for attacking Ruby like she had.

"So why were you out there?" Ruby asked suddenly. Weiss looked at Ruby, and the girl raised up her hands in, once again, a defensive form. "If you're alright with talking about it." Weiss looked down at the floor, and slowly just shook her head.

"I'd rather not," she said, her voice barely audible. "It wasn't... Pleasant..." Ruby nodded, and pulled up a chair near Weiss. She turned it towards the window, and leaned her head back.

"Y'know, on days like this, I just look out the window," Ruby began, trying to calm down her guest a little. "The world is so big, but it's just so ugh. That town was awful, there wasn't really anything to do. But then you have the wilderness. Sure it's a little rough, but I'll take a pack of wild animals over a pack of people any day. But anyways, the world is just so big. I like to look outside, and wonder about what it's like." Ruby took in a breath, and saw that Weiss was just staring at her with an odd look on her face.

"That's... Interesting," she said slowly. Weiss couldn't come up with a better response then that. What she had just heard made no clear sense, but it also felt... Nice to hear. There just wasn't a solid way for Weiss to describe how this was.

"Ah well, eventually we'll be able to get ya home," Ruby replied. "Wherever that may be..." Ruby still didn't know anything about Weiss apart from the obvious. It was mostly by design of Weiss, at this point, but it still made Ruby slightly anxious. "Mind telling me abou-?"

"Yup," Weiss said instantly, completely cutting Ruby off.

"So... Is this how you wanna do things?" Ruby asked. Weiss nodded. "Well... What do you like doing?"

"Pardon me?" Weiss asked, caught off guard by Ruby's question.

"Well we need some way to pass the time," Ruby explained as if it was obvious. "So what do you like doing?" Weiss almost didn't answer Ruby, determined to remain silent, but then she realized how right Ruby was. It would probably take much longer then she ever would've hoped for had she tried to stay quiet the whole time.

"I typically do whatever I can," Weiss began simply. "Normally, that starts with things like painting, sewing, a little bit of swordplay whenever I'm allowed to, cooking-."

"Wait did you say swordplay?" Ruby asked suddenly, shooting up. Weiss nodded slowly, carefully looking at Ruby's expression. "But... Did you say whenever you're allowed to?" Weiss nodded again. "Uhm... Do you have limited time on stuff or something?" Weiss' expression darkened slightly, and she looked away from Ruby again.

"My father doesn't believe that it's proper for a lady to learn swordplay," Weiss said simply. "I always thought it was ridiculous, I should be able to defend myself in case something goes-." Weiss came to a dead stop, and her hand went to her throat. Her mind had taken her to a darker place when she was trying to speak, and it had brought a cry to her throat.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked.

"It's fine," Weiss managed. She didn't say anything more, and just leaned back in her chair.

The two girls sat in silence for a very long time. Neither of them were willing to speak. Both afraid for what they may say, both had different reasons.

"So... It's kind of late," Ruby finally said. "Should I try and make something?"

"I'll help this time," Weiss said. "I'd rather not continue to do nothing." Ruby nodded, and walked over to where the kitchen was. She briefly showed Weiss where things were, but immediately set to work getting another stew ready.

While Ruby could normally prepare a wider variety of things, she still was slightly concerned about Weiss' health, not to mention the slightly more limited options of things to choose from that she was currently stuck with.

Once the stew was boiling (which didn't take long to reach between the two), Ruby looked back over at Weiss.

"I think that maybe I could help you," she said suddenly.

"Pardon me?" Weiss asked, completely caught off guard by the sudden outburst.

"Oh, I mean... With the swordplay and all." Weiss raised her eyebrows. "I have two swords here, I promise you that I can help a little bit."

"Why are you offering to help me?" Weiss asked. "And what makes you think that I need it?"

"Well... If you don't get a chance to practice, why not practice here? Nobody's gonna bother you or tell you not to go." Weiss stared at Ruby for a while, her heart feeling a little bit more opened up. "But uh... I wanna wait until you're better."

"I am fine!" Weiss said indignantly, her heart immediately returning to it's closed state.

"Well... I wanna be safe about it," Ruby said, kicking at the ground idly. Weiss stared at Ruby in confusion, not at all understanding what it was that the girl was so afraid of.

"Well... I suppose that I cannot force you into this," Weiss grumbled. "So if you wish to not do it out of concern for me, no matter how foolish or misguided I feel those concerns are, I'll wait." Ruby smiled widely, and reached out to hug Weiss. Weiss held out her hand, stopping Ruby from moving forward. "No hugs."

"Aw man," Ruby said under her breath. She backed away, and looked over at the stew.

"I bet it's ready," Ruby said suddenly. Without waiting another moment, she ran over to grab herself and Weiss a bowl.

The two ate dinner in relative silence, only sparking a stray conversation. Weiss was still unwilling to divulge anything, and Ruby was willing to allow Weiss to retain her privacy. But soon, the two girls finished. With no desire to start another conversation, and after a slightly more exhausting day on Weiss' recently recovered body, she went to sleep with Ruby soon to follow. Both girls had plenty to wonder about in their dreams.

_The Next Morning_

It was late when Weiss awoke again. Her body demanded a lot more rest then Weiss would have liked, but she complied with it. In the morning, she was feeling well rested and surprisingly ready for really anything the day would throw at her. In fact, now she felt like persuading Ruby to do a little bit of swordplay with her.

Weiss walked outside the room, and heard Ruby's voice. But it wasn't alone. It was accompanied by the voice of someone older, still female, and someone who sounded stronger.

"I swear, she's been really good," Ruby said. "I promise, she's gonna wake up, and maybe we'll be able to take her back."

"Do you even know anything about her?" The other girl replied. "I mean, what do you really know?"

"That she was gonna die unless I did something!" There was a few moments of silence, and then a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, I figured you'd go there. You did the right thing, Rubes, you really did. I'm just a little concerned about who this girl is, from the way you described her. I mean, what would drive a lady out this far? Also, what lady is she?" Weiss finally stepped out from around the corner, and took a moment to observe the second person that was now present.

She was in fact a female. She was very tall, in fact she towered over Ruby. She wore a yellow shirt that cut off just before it reached her stomach, showing off her abs. The shirt was sleeveless, showing off the pure muscle arms that the girl possessed. She had on a pair of brown shorts, that were also incredibly short, showing off the trees for legs that she had. Her hair was a blonde mess that seemed untamable, and her eyes were a lovely shade of lilac.

The girl wasn't in a position to see Weiss, but Ruby was.

"Oh, there she is!" Ruby exclaimed. "Yang, turn around and say hi." The girl (or Yang as Weiss now knew) did turn in Weiss' direction. As soon as she did, her eyes went wide.

"Holy fucking shit!" Yang exclaimed instantly. "Rubes, is this really the person you've been housing? Like, you didn't kidnap and drug her or anything?"

"No, I was in the cold!" Weiss said, already not feeling pleased with the arrival of Yang, the girl that Weiss presumed was Ruby's sister that she talked about. "Ruby did... Save... Me..." Suddenly, her mind connected the dots of why Yang was so surprised by Weiss' arrival.

"Well... Rubes, I hate to break it to you, but you rescued Weiss Schnee from the cold," Yang said, a grin wide on her face. "And boy oh boy, is it ironic that you saved a Schnee from the cold."

"W-w-what?" Ruby sputtered, looking over at Weiss. "H-."

"They were putting up some pictures of her all over town when I got there," Yang explained boredly. "So... Can you please confirm for my sister?" Weiss took in a deep breath, and hung her head.

"Yes," she said softly. "I am Weiss Schnee, next in line for the throne of the kingdom." She raised it, and looked straight at Ruby. "I would like you to know, Ruby, that I did not lie to-."

"That is so cool!" Ruby said happily.

"Pardon me?"

"Like... You're a royal princess and stuff, like in stories!" Weiss stared at her, completely dumbfounded. Ruby's hands were up by her face, and her eyes were really wide. Weiss could hear Yang's laugh as the older girl walked over to Weiss, and completely hammered her back.

"This is what Ruby's like," Yang said simply. "Better adjust here, princess."

"Do you realize that you tried to break the back of the royal heiress?" Weiss asked bitterly.

"Oh, right..." Yang said, her voice trailing off. "Well, the way I view it, you're in my home, with my sister's clothing on, so right now we're on equal terms." Weiss stared at Yang, her face still perplexed by what was going on at the moment.

"Well, I guess you'd better get your things," Yang said. She started to move towards Ruby's room, but Weiss grabbed onto her wrist.

"Why?" She asked.

"We're gonna head out, remember?" Yang asked. "We're gonna get you to the nearest town, and send you off back home." Weiss suddenly stood up a little straighter, and sharply took in a breath. It had completely slipped her mind in the process of learning about Yang. She looked back at Ruby, and then at Yang.

"Your sister told me that she would teach me some swordplay," Weiss said simply. "I was planning on holding her to her word. Would it be too much to trouble you if I were to ask for you to bring me back to town tomorrow morning and not today?" Yang eyed Weiss for a few moments, but then turned to Ruby.

"Rubes!" She called out. "Did you tell the princess you'd fight her?"

"Oh yeah!" Ruby said suddenly, finally snapping out of her thoughts and back to the moment. "I guess we won't have the time now, huh?" Ruby seemed a little sad, but Yang looked back at Weiss.

"Well then, looks like you and I are gonna get to know each other after all," Yang said. "Rubes, you go ahead and fight with the princess. I'm gonna unpack and probably go looking for any nearby wildlife." Yang didn't even wait for Ruby to reply, she just picked up her bag and started unpacking. It was clear that Yang wanted Ruby and Weiss to go about their business, for whatever reason that may be.

Ruby wasted no time taking off in a sprint to find her spare sword that was in the house, while Weiss just sat down patiently.

Weiss was smart enough to know that another day with her absent would most likely be terrible for her father to endure, and it would cause a much larger panic. But Weiss was also smart enough to know that when she got there, the odds that her father would allow her to pick up a sword were slim to none. This was her best chance.

Ruby returned after a little bit with a sword that looked a little bit different then the one that she had seen earlier. Ruby wasted no time handing it off to Weiss, and then scooping up her own sword from the corner that it rested in.

"Are you sure you're okay to do this?" Ruby asked.

"Of course, I'm definitely feeling better," Weiss replied simply.

_All in thanks to you, _she thought, though did not express it out loud.

"Cool," Ruby said happily. She ran outside, leaving Weiss to stand there and admire Ruby's speed. She shook it off, and followed Ruby outside.

She stepped outside, and saw Ruby standing calmly with a sword in hand. Weiss raised up her own sword, and held it in a proper stance.

"Shall we begin?" Weiss asked calmly. Ruby didn't answer with words, and instead leveled her own sword. Weiss smiled, and stepped forward to try and take a swing at Ruby. Ruby easily blocked it, and stepped forward to knock away Weiss' sword.

Weiss let out an angry huff, and picked up her sword. She turned to face Ruby, and this time the girl took the offensive. She lunged forward, and brought her sword around to Weiss' side. She blocked it easily, but Ruby twisted her grip sharp enough to break Weiss' grip on the sword.

"You've got some good technique," Ruby commented. "But... Like... You don't really know how to use it. Practice'll help."

"How would I have good technique and not know how to use it?" Weiss challenged, not fully understanding Ruby's words.

"Well, all we need to do is practice," Ruby said. "Just keep doing what you're doing, and eventually you're gonna get stronger." Weiss grunted angrily, annoyed that Ruby wasn't offering anything else, and took her stance again.

Ruby disarmed Weiss on the next round, and the next round after that. The two girls continued on in this pattern, Weiss lasting a little bit longer each time until fatigue set in for her. Then the rounds got shorter, before Ruby finally called for them to stop (it had taken her a long time to notice how tired Weiss really was).

Both girls walked inside, and saw Yang calmly setting up some food.

"Well look who came inside," Yang said. "How'd it go?" Weiss didn't even respond, and ungracefully collapsed on the couch. "Guess that answers that."

"Weiss actually did pretty good," Ruby said, jumping to Weiss' defense. "But uh... She doesn't have a lot of practice and-."

"You hunt, I get it," Yang said. "Oh well, after losing every round, nowhere to go but up, right princess?"

"I hate you," Weiss said through heavy breaths.

"Well, luckily for you, I've got dinner going and there's some water for you too. Rest up for today, you're probably gonna need it." Yang went back to work, with Ruby walking over to her. Weiss watched Ruby and Yang, and just kept her focus on Ruby.

This was the girl that had willingly gone out of her to not only save Weiss, but take care of her. Ruby could've easily left her out, and just as easily neglected to take proper care. But even after helping to nurse Weiss up to health, but offering to help her with the swordplay. Plus, not even batting an eye at who she was. That was not something that you'd see in every person, and Weiss was happy to see it in Ruby. It made her feel a little sad that she was leaving tomorrow, even worse she knew that the odds that she would get to return were even more slim.

"Dinner's ready!" Yang yelled out. Weiss snapped out of her thoughts, and nodded in the direction of Yang.

"Thank you," she said. Weiss rose to her feet, and walked to where Yang and Ruby were standing to get her food.

The dinner carried on with a fair amount of conversation, mostly centered around Ruby asking Weiss about life as royalty. Weiss embellished a little bit, trying her hardest to make sure that Ruby didn't know how restrictive it actually was. She seemed to have this fairy tale image in her mind, and Weiss wasn't willing to break it.

After dinner, Yang went to bed. She was tired, after spending a night at the inn (with little sleep) and being active for most of the day. Weiss felt ready to fall asleep at any moment, but she stayed up instead. Weiss sat on a chair while Ruby rested on the couch, both of them not really talking. Finally, Weiss took in a deep breath.

"Ruby," she said softly. Ruby looked over at Weiss questioningly. "Do you want to know what I was doing out here?"

"No, it's okay!" Ruby said instantly. "I can tell that you don't really want to talk about it."

"You've done a lot for me," Weiss replied simply. "I repaid you by withholding information about me, and after these past two days I owe you this I feel." Ruby was silent, and just waited for Weiss to speak.

"I was traveling through the kingdom," Weiss said. "That means I had my standard armed escort. Ten standard guards, and a personal troop of four. We traveled as inconspicuously as you can with that amount of armed guards, but..." Weiss trailed off, and stared down at her hands.

"Weiss, you don't have to-."

"Do you know who the White Fang are?" Weiss asked, cutting Ruby off.

"Sort of," Ruby started. "They're... Freedom fighters, right?"

"Radicals is what I'd call them," Weiss said darkly. "They are a group of Faunus who're against the policies that my father has in place, and honestly I don't blame them. But they are trying to obtain what they want through violent acts against things they think that my father will care about. I don't know if they understand that my father won't..." Weiss trailed off again, and her fists balled together.

"They came after me," Weiss said darkly. "They attacked my party, and killed everyone. I only got away because my personal guard... Well... He let me get away instead of him..." Ruby stared at Weiss in her chair, and she could see the tears in the princess' eyes.

"If it hadn't rained, I'd be dead," Weiss said shakily. "If you hadn't found me, I'd be dead." Weiss looked up at Ruby, tears in her eyes, and breathed in deeply. "I cannot repay you enough," Weiss finally said. Ruby stared at Weiss for a few moments.

Ruby knew that she could demand anything that she wanted, and Weiss would most likely be morally obligated to fulfill her requests. But that just wasn't Ruby.

She walked over to Weiss, and pulled a chair right up next to her. She pulled Weiss into a hug, and the princess immediately let loose a stream of tears.

"You don't owe me anything," Ruby said. "You and me are fine."

"And I," Weiss sniffled. Ruby groaned loudly. "But thank you."

And that was how the night carried on for a very long time. Ruby held Weiss in a hug, until both of them moved to the couch where Weiss instead cried on Ruby's shoulder. After a while of tears, Weiss had properly worn herself out and she knew that tomorrow, there was a very large journey ahead of her. Ruby guided her to her bed, volunteering to sleep on the couch. Weiss couldn't even argue in her exhausted state, and instead went to sleep with a lot on her mind.

_The Next Morning_

"WAAAAAAAAKE UP PRINCESS!"

Yang's bellow was the first thing Weiss heard in the morning. It was a harsh awakening, and Weiss actually rolled out of her bed. She looked up angrily at Yang, and rose straight to her feet.

"If your sister hadn't saved my life, I'd be tempted to have you killed," Weiss growled.

"Awe, that's adorable that you think your guards could kill me," Yang said, rubbing Weiss' head. "Let's go princess, we don't have all day." Yang walked outside the room, and waited for Weiss to follow. She had slept in Ruby's clothes, but she still took the time to change into a clean pair (since her dress was no longer salvageable).

When Weiss walked into the front room, she saw Yang waiting by the door with Ruby.

"All set?" Yang asked. Weiss looked at Ruby, and the girl spoke quickly.

"I'm not gonna go with you."

"Why?" Weiss asked.

"Ah, lil' sis hates the town," Yang said. "Plus, she knows that it'll go faster if I only have to take you. The faster we get you to town the faster we can get you home." Yang took in a deep breath, and looked back and forth at her sister and Weiss. "Buuuut I do understand that you two will need a proper goodbye, so I'll wait outside." Yang walked out, and left the two girls standing there, staring at each other.

"So..." Ruby started. "I guess... This is it. You're gonna go home now." Ruby's voice rang with enthusiasm, but it sounded false, even to her own ears.

"Yes, yes I will," Weiss said softly. "But I swear, I'll try and convince my father to let me visit."

"Don't say that," Ruby pleaded. "Please don't." Weiss frowned, and her eyes bore a sad expression. Both of the girls knew that the head Schnee would most likely not let Weiss return, especially not after her escort had been so ruthlessly killed.

"I'll find a way," Weiss whispered, making sure to make a promise to herself. "I swear, I'll find a way. But for now..." Weiss stepped forward, and hugged Ruby. "Goodbye Ruby. Thank you for... Everything." It only took Ruby a moment to hug Weiss back, and she smiled.

"It was fun having a real life princess here," Ruby replied. "And your not as... Mean as Yang described." Weiss sighed, and stepped out of the hug.

"Dolt," she muttered. But Weiss smiled one last time before turning for the door. She took in a deep breath, and looked outside. She started to take several steps forward, and began counting in her mind.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

She made a decision.

Weiss turned around, and stepped forward to Ruby again.

"I don't know if I'll get to see you again," Weiss began. "Well... At least, not anytime soon. But if I don't..." Weiss looked into Ruby's eyes, and the girl looked right back into Weiss'. It only took both girls a few moments before they stepped closer and kissed each other briefly.

Weiss and Ruby stared at each other for a few moments before kissing each other again, this time much more passionately. They broke it after several moments, and Weiss looked right into Ruby's eyes.

"Consider that a promise," Weiss said softly. Ruby nodded, completely awestruck, but then she shook herself out of it.

"I'm gonna come with you," Ruby said, her voice sounding slightly dazed.

"Good," Weiss replied simply, her voice returning to it's normal volume. Both girls heard a loud throat clear at the door, and they looked to see Yang leaning casually against the doorframe.

"Well, I figured this would be what was taking you two so long," Yang said with a wide grin. "And uh, princess, my sister won't forget promises." Weiss and Ruby both blushed, but Weiss rebounded quickly to throw a look in Yang's direction.

"I like your sister far more then I like you," Weiss said angrily. "Almost enough to keep me away."

"False threats are a bad habit," Yang replied boredly. "You should stop with those." Yang got off the doorframe, and started to walk away. "Les-be-on our way now!" She called out.

"YANG!" Ruby yelled back, completely mortified by her older sister. "COULD YOU NOT?"

"Nope," Yang sang. "This is way too much fun."

**End: Hope y'all enjoyed this, I actually may do more with this in the future but for now, it stands complete. Hope you enjoyed Hana (if you even read it, which I don't blame you if you don't cause you're senpai). Questions, comments, follows, favorites, and feedback is always appreciated. **


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